Results 11,221-11,240 of 11,433 for speaker:Michael Kitt

Seanad: Autism Services: Statements (Resumed). (19 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I am optimistic that children with autism can go to their local schools. One of the greatest problems facing us in the west is that there has been a long battle for services for autism usually involving child care services for young children and school transport to schools where the health board or...

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: A report last week on the incidence of radon gas highlighted Castleisland but in many parts of the west there has been a very high incidence, causing up to 300 deaths per year. In the absence of new legislation in this area will the Leader inquire if there is a possibility of grants being restored to protect people from this radioactive gas? The Department of Education and Science spent a...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages (Resumed). (12 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: The issue, to which the Minister of State referred last night, of two systems giving different results is a serious one. During the debate on Second Stage it was made clear that many errors had occurred in the manual voting system. Seats have changed hands on a margin of fewer than 50 votes. Electronic voting will eliminate inadvertent voting errors. There are people, obviously, who want the...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages (Resumed). (12 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: A printout is not necessary. One can look at one's balance on the screen.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages (Resumed). (12 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: The Senator is too well off. It is the balance that is important, not the receipt.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages (Resumed). (12 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: The non-random way, as Senator Finucane described it, is the best way to go and should be considered. It is probably irrelevant in the context of elections on 11 June but the software is there for the future, when we will have electronic voting, and we should look at the non-random provision. I have fought ten general elections and I know well how unfair the system can be, particularly with...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages (Resumed). (12 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: There are no votes in that sort of stick.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (11 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: Senator Bannon has made his point on the former leader of Fine Gael, Deputy John Bruton, twice today. The Deputy was a candidate in the Meath constituency, where electronic voting was used in the last election. Contrary to what Senator Bannon is saying, the Deputy has been very supportive of electronic voting and urged people to vote. Let us return to the question of accuracy. During the last...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (11 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: I am interested in Senator Bannon's point. However, the main difficulty for all candidates at election time is one of securing the deposit, in particular for European elections for which the deposit is high. I welcome the abolition, by way of court challenge, of the requirement to have a deposit. On Senator Bannon's point, this matter has already been tested in the courts. Perhaps this issue...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (11 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: I agree with the Minister of State's comment that we must await the commission's next report. The commission reported favourably on the use of electronic voting. Like Senator Quinn, I support electronic voting, particularly for reasons of accuracy in the vote and the counting of votes in elections. In response to Senator Bannon's point about obtaining different results, this is one of the...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (11 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: I join Members in complimenting the Joint Committee on the Environment and Local Government which has done a fine job in discussing this issue. I agree with Senator Quinn that this amendment requires a great deal of tidying up before we could agree to it. It fails to refer to Seanad Éireann. While have a Technical Group consisting of smaller parties and Independents, there are different...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (11 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: The Senator should ask Senator Finucane.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (7 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him particularly for bringing forward this Bill to establish on a statutory footing the Commission on Electronic Voting. This is very important because it has reported on this issue and will no doubt make other reports. The overall conclusion on page 22 of the report is interesting. The commission states that having regard to the issues that it...

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: I agree with those who have called for a debate on Iraq. In particular, we should discuss the treatment of prisoners and the quality of life of ordinary Iraqi people who are caught in the crossfire. I also ask the Deputy Leader to organise a debate on the western rail corridor. Some of my colleagues and I have met the Minister for Transport in various towns along the corridor. Having listened...

Seanad: Ombudsman's Report: Statements. (5 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: Certainly.

Seanad: Ombudsman's Report: Statements. (5 May 2004)

Michael Kitt: I welcome the Minister and also the report of the Ombudsman. I compliment her predecessor. It is good news that there has been a reduction in the cases taken to the Ombudsman. Like other speakers, I am rather concerned, particularly regarding education. There are many issues involved, and there will probably be more to do with special needs, which is a big issue currently, and school...

Seanad: Community Employment Schemes. (27 Apr 2004)

Michael Kitt: I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this matter and the Minister of State, Deputy Fahey, for coming to the House. This issue relates to the three-year cap on community employment schemes. As the Minister of State and the Acting Chairman, Senator Ulick Burke, know, there is an organisation in our constituency known as the East Galway Community Action Group which has had a number...

Seanad: Agriculture: Statements. (27 Apr 2004)

Michael Kitt: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I wish him the best in his electoral contest in June. I thank him and his colleagues, the Minister of State, Deputy Tracey, and the Minister, Deputy Joe Walsh, for their work in the Department. I am pleased he mentioned in his opening address the question of the ten accession states who will join the European Union next Saturday. Their...

Seanad: Order of Business. (27 Apr 2004)

Michael Kitt: I also welcome the not guilty verdicts pertaining to the so-called Colombia Three, who were acquitted of the major charge of training FARC guerrillas. I pay tribute to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and his officials for their work and to Senator White for her special interest and the many trips she made to Colombia.

Seanad: Order of Business. (27 Apr 2004)

Michael Kitt: I call on the Minister and his officials to keep up this good work and to ensure the safe return of the three men involved. I ask for the support of the Seanad in this regard.